Not on the evidence we have. During the New York run of “Clams on the Half Shell‘ she ordered 70 picnic hampers from the Trattoria and Brasserie restaurants to be delivered to the theater between shows on weekends, as there was no time for the cast and crew to go out to dinner.

When Alexis Smith visited Bette backstage after one show, her dressing room was crowded and Alexis didn’t recognize Bette, with no makeup and her hair pulled back.”In fact, she was introducing herself to people, ” said Alexis, who told Bette she was leaving for a Florida club date. With that, Bette took her to a corner and passed on some valuable tips about club work, a rare thing for performers to do. They usually guard their “secrets ” as closely as the Pentagon does.Read More

He’s naughty, bawdy, and brash. I love it! He was – and still is – the perfect match to write for Bette Midler. Here, Mr. Vilanch shares the view from his front-row seat with Bette, going all the way back to the early days. Bruce is always insightful and sometimes off-color…and it was my honor to interview him.

Todd: When did you first meet Bette?

Bruce: It was during the Paleozoic period, shortly after the Big Bang. That would make it about 50 years ago – where’s my Xanax? – in Chicago at a club called Mister Kelly’s. She had been on Broadway as the eldest daughter in Fiddler on the Roof and was working on a nightclub act. I was sent to review her. History is made at night!Read More

Bette Midler is one of the most accomplished performers today, but one movie on her resume holds a special place in the hearts of millions: Disney’s Hocus Pocus. The film keeps finding new fans, 25 years after its release, and Midler is “grateful” for the film’s success.

“We had no expectations because we didn’t get very good notices and we didn’t do the business that anyone expected us to do,” Midler said in a recent interview with Good Morning America. “And the fact that it became this cult favorite and that it plays regularly every Halloween, I mean, I have very young fans because of Winnie, because of Hocus Pocus, so I’m grateful for it.”

The Divine Miss M later said she keeps challenging herself to avoid boredom. Even though she has earned dozens of awards over five decades, she shows no signs of stopping. Just last year, she won her second Tony for the current revival of Hello, Dolly!.

“I think boredom is the worst thing in the whole world because the planet is so full of magic and you must find it,” Midler told GMA. “You must find the magic.”

When Disney released Hocus Pocus in 1993, the film was not a critical or commercial success. But the film is beloved by children and adults after Disney kept it on rotation on television. The film, directed by Kenny Ortega, also stars Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker, who join Midler as a trio of resurrected witches.

Fans have longed for a sequel, but instead, Disney said it plans to produce a made-for-TV remake last year. Midler called the idea “cheap.”

“I’m not sure what they’re going to do with my character,” Midler, who played Winifred Sanderson, told PEOPLE in October 2017. “My character is very, very broad and I don’t know who they’re going to find to play that.”

The remake will be written by Scarlet Lacey and none of the original cast is expected to return. Even Ortega, who still has a close relationship with Disney as the director of High School Musical and Descendants, is not involved.

Although Disney is not planning on a sequel, the studio has announced plans for a 25th anniversary Blu-Ray, which will be released on Sept. 4. Funko is also releasing Pop figures based on the Sanderson sisters.

The Hello, Dolly! revival closes on Aug. 25. Midler called playing the title character one of the highlights of her life.

“I’ve had many highlights. I’ve been very, very lucky,” Midler told GMA. “I don’t sing the greatest. I certainly don’t dance the greatest. I’m funny. There’s no question that I’m funny. I’m not the most beautiful, but I’m raucous and I give people a good time and I think people really like to have a good time.”

There’s been plenty of celebration regarding the 25th anniversary of Jurassic Park, but another beloved movie from 1993 is also worthy of honor, especially with Halloween around the corner.

Hocus Pocus is one of Disney’s cult favorites with children of the ’90s especially holding the movie close to their heart. Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy play the witch trio known as the Sanderson Sisters who are trying to achieve immortality in Salem, Oregon, but they need a certain spellbook in order to complete the incantation, and three kids and a talking cat have run off with it.Read More

Bette Midler is the best. She is one of the greatest singers, performers, and actors of our generation. I will fight anyone about this. She is iconic, her songs are magnificent, and her career is untouchable. She’s had hits like ‘The Rose’, ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’, ‘Delta Dawn’, and so so many more.

If you appreciate music then you surely appreciate Bette Midler. But have you used them as Instagram captions? Your followers, if they are as wise as you, will immediately notice a Bette Midler lyric. And for those who don’t, you will teach them the ways of the Divine Miss. M.

“Do you wanna dance, and hold my hand? Tell me you’re my lover man”

“We could dance under the moonlight, hug and kiss all through the night”

Out & About In Nashville
Own some of the profit from Bette Midler’s ‘The Rose’ album
You gotta pay for it, though
July 27, 2018
By Joseph Brant

It’s probably the perfect gift for that die-hard Bette Midler fan who has everything.

Royalties to Bette Midler’s iconic album ‘The Rose’ are up for auction right now. Yeah, you read that right. You’d be purchasing ownership of the original soundtrack. As of this writing, the top bid is over $75,000.

The winner of ‘The Rose’ auction will literally own a slice of pop music history and earn money each time the best-known song from the Divine Miss M streams or is sold. The title song from the film that launched Bette’s movie career and turned her into a Grammy, Tony, and Emmy winning superstar, “The Rose” is an evergreen royalty-earning asset … and the coming Broadway adaptation of ‘The Rose’ is set to generate even more interest in her always-popular catalog.

The listing is sure to note that this offer is only regarding the original recordings and not the upcoming Broadway release and its music. Even at that price point, there is some small print attached to the offer but hey… if you’re willing to pony up nearly 80 grand you’re gonna want to check out the small print, yes?

Previous 12 months royalties amount to $6900 so… quick math: it’ll take you just under eleven years to earn back your investment. Think of all the dinner party conversations you’ll own, though!

Bette Midler made her way back down the staircase at Harmonia Gardens Restaurant on July 17, reprising her Tony-winning turn in the acclaimed Broadway staging of Hello, Dolly! Joined by her original leading man, David Hyde Pierce, Midler ignited the box office, with the Tony-winning production posting a gross of $2,062,015.00, nearly filling the Shubert Theatre to full capacity. With just five weeks left to see The Divine Miss M onstage, now couldn’t be a better time to book your tickets to the hottest-ticket revival is town.

Here’s a look at who was on top—and who was not—for the week ending July 22:

New York Post
How to avoid the crowds at these NYC hotspots
by Johnny Oleksinski
July 11, 2018Julieta Cervantes

The hot mess: Insane crowds at “Hello, Dolly!” on Broadway are a sure Bette. That’s because its Tony Award-winning star, Bette Midler, is returning to the musical for just six weeks starting July 17. During her first stint, tickets went for as much as $800 and performances were always sold out — leading to hordes of people waiting for cancellation seats all day. “The Midler lines at the Shubert are always long and lively,” PR man Rick Miramontez tells The Post. Even wilder are the fans waiting to bask in the glow of the Divine Miss M post-show. “Bette at the stage door is one of the great Broadway events,” Miramontez says.

Pro tip: Midler is fab, but she’s just one part of a sensational production. To give the star a break, actress Donna Murphy will play the lead role for just five performances (July 22 and 29, and Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 20). Tickets to Murphy’s shows will be cheaper, there will be more availability and you’ll have a good old-fashioned blast. Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St.; tickets at Telecharge.com or 212-239-6200